St Francis of Assisi College - Term 4 - Week 1 - 2022

REMEMBER If you are reading this newsletter from your email don't forget to click 'read more' to expand your view and access all of our feature photos!

Make Hunger History

God, Giver of Life:  You made the earth and everything in it to flourish and live to the full.

But today, in the Horn of Africa, waterholes run dry, desert locusts swarm, crops wither and people look for food.

After years of drought, conflict and COVID-19, farmers struggle to save their livelihoods, families leave home in search of water and over 18 million people face extreme hunger.

Help us bring the world back to life.  

Amen.

World Food Day is observed every year on 16 October to mark the founding of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, founded in 1945. The aim of the day is to reduce global hunger and strives to eradicate global hunger.

This year the theme is ‘Leave NO ONE Behind’ meaning we need a sustainable world where everyone has access to regular nutritious food. National Food Day is slightly different to World Food Day and is celebrated on the 24 October, it focuses on healthy and nutritious food.

The second of the UN's 17 SDGs is to "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture." Since 2015 the number of people suffering from hunger has increased and the world is not on target to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

The main drivers of hunger are climate change and conflict, however there are also economic and political causes. Sadly, there has been a confluence of factors in certain countries; conflict, the pandemic, rising costs and climate change. It is more important than ever to make communities resilient to climate shocks or natural disasters caused by climate change.

Student Awards Ceremony

The College’s student awards will be presented at an end of year ceremony held at the College on Friday December 9th, beginning at 9am.  Further details will be provided early Term 4 to students and parents outlining the specific awards that will be presented, and the criteria for each.

Parents and family are very welcome to attend, and parents / carers of students receiving an award will be personally notified by the College prior to the ceremony.

Riverland Flood Updates

With the impact of the Victorian floods having an imminent impact in areas of the Riverland with rising river levels, we are keeping up to date with the most accurate information, and advice through pursuing the appropriate channels.

Please be assured we are scenario planning, ultimately to ensure quality learning can continue for individual students in the event some families may not be able to access school periodically.

Uniform Reminder – Extreme Hair

I remind families of the College policy in relation to uniform, and particularly students’ hair.

The policy indicates:

Must be neat, clean, and tidy always at school.

Navy headband or navy ribbon.
Hair colour must be within the normal range of colour for people.
All hair longer than collar length should be tied back.
Students cannot shave their head and hair length should not be shorter than a hairdresser’s Number 2 cut.

Students can expect that they will have to correct any issue with their hair as required by the College, and therefore, may miss time from school to have this done.

We recommend seeking advice from the College before undertaking a radical hair change as any hairstyle classified as ‘extreme’ is not permitted.

Students are not to have dreadlocks, rat’s tails or other extreme styles.

All students are expected to be clean shaven.

I further clarify that in a practical sense the College Leadership determine that hair which touches the collar of either the school shirt or school dress, would normally be tied up. This satisfies our duty of care, hygiene and Work Health and Safety obligations. I have a strong belief that attention to detail of clear and safe boundaries ensures that the larger issues do not eventuate in a school community.

Nathan Hayes, Principal

MathsPathway

We are very excited to offer year 7 students this term the opportunity to use the MathsPathway program in their Maths classes. Traditionally in schools, it has been extremely difficult for one teacher to cater to the learning needs of 20 individual students. As a result, not every student has experienced success in maths, with many students finding it particularly stressful or difficult. Our teaching team is now working very hard to change that, by changing the structure of our Maths curriculum. Maths Pathway uses comprehensive diagnostic software to determine the current level of mathematical understanding. The program allows students to work on skills and concepts tailored to their level of learning. This means that every student can experience success in maths. Approximately 50% of students’ work will involve MathsPathway with the remaining 50% dedicated to targeted instruction, mini lessons, rich tasks and projects. This structure has been proven to increase student learning and engagement in mathematics.

Our maths team will be sending home further communication to parents about these changes. In the meantime, we encourage you to chat with your child about about what it means to have a growth mindset (you can find out more about this at  https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset-parents).

PAT Testing

In week 3, all students will complete the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT). There are two tests: PAT-R (reading) and PAT-M (Numeracy). These are diagnostic assessments conducted to measure student’s growth throughout the year. They provide valuable information to teachers about your child’s learning strengths and needs.  The tests will indicate what skills students have mastered, what skills they are consolidating and even more importantly what skills they need to be educationally stretched. It will also provide teachers with objective information for setting realistic learning goals and enables them to better plan learning programs as students’ progress through the college.

If you have any questions about PAT Testing, please contact the College.

Mrs Natalie Meuret, Leader of Learning

Next Friday, we will be celebrating the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi with a liturgy and a range of activities for stduents to engage in during Pastoral Care. To mark the day, students are welcome to wear casual clothing* and are invited to donate a gold coin to support the fundraising efforts of our Relay for Life Team.

* College Expectations on Casual Attire:

• Enclosed shoes suitable for P.E.
• Clothing attire that allows for full participation in physical activity
   - Shirts and tops that cover the shoulders and chest  - i.e. no singlets and no
     scoop t-shirts
   - Shorts that extend past the mid-thigh
• Clothing that is free of obscene language or images
• Clothing that is SunSmart
• The college hair and make-up policy remains in place

Focus Article

This term, we will share an article each newsletter that may be of benefit to our parent and caregiver community in raising a teenager in a digital world and economy.

In this edition, you can access an article from the Cyber Safety project to give ideas on how to help your teenager find a healthy digital balance.

Parent Guide: Empowering Your Teen To Tame Their Screen Time - Cyber Safety Project

Words of Wisdom

Maya Angelou was an American civil rights activist as well as an author, actor and dancer throughout the 20th Century. She is known for overcoming her fair share of hardships during her extraordinary life to become a prominent figure for marginalised communities across the world.

You may find a link in these words to our College value of Compassion – showing concern and genuine interest in the lives of others.

Luke Cotter, Leader of Wellbeing